The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Accident at site due to ‘negligence’, says probe

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Accident at site due to ‘negligence’, says probe

Bageshree S.

Labour Department to serve notice to Sobha Developers

Accident took place at construction site of Sobha Developers on Bannerghatta Road on May 10
Two workers died and seven were injured when the lift they were using came crashing down

Bangalore: The technical committee set up to investigate an accident at a construction site on Bannerghatta Road on May 10, in which two workers were killed and seven injured, has submitted a report stating that “improper maintenance and negligence” on the part of the construction company had led to the mishap.

N.B. Ramachandra, Labour Officer who was part of the three-member investigating team, told The Hindu that the accident had occurred “due to the failure of the main mechanical parts” of the lift carrying the workers “which is attributed to the improper maintenance and negligence on the part of Messrs. Sobha Developers Pvt. Ltd”.

The accident had occurred at the multi-storeyed super luxury apartment being built by Sobha Developers after the lunch break.

Accident

Nine workers took the lift from the ground floor to the 18th floor. Just before they could reach the top floor the lift came crashing down. One person died on the spot and the other on the way to hospital. The remaining sustained multiple injuries. Four among the injured are still undergoing treatment at hospitals in Bangalore.

Committee set up

Following the mishap, the Labour Department had set up a three-member technical committee to investigate the causes.

The panel included a chief electrical engineer from the Electrical Inspectorate and a chief engineer from Bangalore South division, besides Mr. Ramachandra.

The Labour Department will now serve notice to the company under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996.

The rules under this Act were formulated in Karnataka on November 1, 2006.

The injured have been given an ex-gratia payment of Rs. 25,000 so far, by the company, besides covering hospitalisation charges.

Though the company has deposited Rs. 1 lakh each to be given to the kin of the two deceased people, claims are yet to be made. “The files have been kept open,” said Mr. Ramachandra. Both the deceased are migrant workers. While 25-year-old Devamma hailed from Bijapur, 30-year-old Devendra was from Orissa.

KSHRC seeks report

The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission has registered a suo moto case on the accident, citing a report in The Hindu (“Injured staring at bleak future”, dated May 13).

It has asked the Labour Commissioner to submit a report on the accident within six weeks.

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